No Idea
by Folle
Summary: Don't we all love Naruto and want him to have what he wants, even if he has no idea what familial bliss entails? [NaruSaku family goodness]


Warning: Contains oblique references to information revealed in recent manga chapters (approximately chapter 360 and up).**  
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**No Idea **

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When he was young, Naruto had never pictured himself growing up to have a fairly normal life (as normal a life as a shinobi could have, which inherently wasn't so normal after all), with a family, but here was, on his way to the Academy to pick up his children. He knew Sakura would appreciate it if he picked up Minato and Mitsuko, because that meant Minato would not be left to his own devices and get into trouble. Having a son who was almost as delinquent as he had been wasn't what he had expected either. Some of it was his own fault, though, so he couldn't really be surprised about it. Even so, Naruto never told Sakura about his part in the whole defacing of the Hokage monument incident. He suspected that she guessed he had somehow been involved, but hadn't said anything because it was too much of a hassle to be angry with her son _and_ her husband. And Naruto, who was really only a coward when it came to Sakura's wrath, had let his young son take full responsibility for it. Minato had learned his lesson; all of his successive pranks had been much more subtle, making it difficult to find, blame, and punish the culprit. Naruto no longer participated in them, but Minato knew he had Naruto's approval because every so often Naruto winked at him, especially when Sakura was on a rampage about the latest mishap.

He had also never expected to love another woman as much as he loved Sakura, but Mitsuko had easily achieved that status from the moment she was born and reaffirmed it every time she said "Daddy." Naruto was almost never angry with her and gave her everything she asked for. He doted on her enough that Sakura scolded him for it sometimes, which wasn't to say that he loved his daughter anymore than his son. He loved his children equally, just differently. He loved Mitsuko for her unconditional acceptance and trust and Minato for showing him what he might have been like had his childhood not been so lonely.

Today, however, Minato was not his usual cheerful self. When Naruto reached the schoolyard he was surprised to see Minato had a scowl on his face and the beginnings of a black eye. Mitsuko was crying and cowering behind him, and Naruto wouldn't have seen her except that a breeze blew her bright red hair out of its ribbon, which landed at Naruto's feet.

At the sound of his youngest child's whimpers, Naruto couldn't help how his chest tightened and the sharp anger he suddenly felt at whoever had caused her discomfort. His eyes, however, were soft as he bent down to pick up the ribbon. He opened his arms to his daughter and beckoned her to him.

"Mitsu-chan, what's wrong?" At the sound of her father's voice Mitsuko's cries became louder and she ran to him, wailing. Naruto picked her up and she calmed down after a moment, but wouldn't be put back down. Knowing Mitsuko wouldn't want to talk about what happened, Naruto looked to Minato instead.

"How come you have a black eye?" Minato huffed and stuck his hands in his pockets. Naruto sighed. Neither of his children was being very forthcoming, and it wasn't like Minato to get in a fight with another student. He was generally well liked and seemed to be friends with everyone. Before leaving the schoolyard Naruto scanned the area, hoping for some sort of clue. There were a few children playing on the swings, but whatever had happened with Mitsuko and Minato didn't seem to have affected them. However, Hyuuga Hizashi was sitting alone in the shade of a tree and Naruto thought the shadows on one of his eyes looked a little darker than the shadows on the other.

x

When he walked in the door of his house, Sakura called out to him. "Naruto, is that you? Did you pick up the kids?" She walked towards the entrance where Naruto was still taking off his boots. Mitsuko started crying again upon hearing her mother's voice, and when Sakura reached them her face was one of concerned confusion. Before she could say anything, though, Mitsuko was reaching out to her and she was transferred from her father's arms to her mother's. Sakura stroked Mitsuko's back while taking in Minato's sullen stance and rumpled appearance. "Minato, what happened to your eye?" When Minato didn't answer, Sakura sighed with what Naruto knew was defeat. "Come here, Minato, and I'll heal it for you." Minato looked up at his parents defiantly.

"No! I'm proud of it!" Minato stalked away, leaving Naruto and Sakura a little perplexed and worried.

"I'll take care of it." Naruto assured his wife. Sakura nodded and Mitsuko, who seemed to finally be done with crying, watched her parents, her eyes shifting guiltily. As Naruto followed their son, he heard Sakura begin to ask their daughter what had happened.

x

Minato had thrown himself on his bed. He was staring at the ceiling when his father entered the room. Clothes littered the floor along with miscellaneous ninja paraphernalia. Naruto stepped carefully lest he step on a stray kunai. When he reached it, Naruto sat on the edge of Minato's bed. He watched Minato for a moment, wondering if his son knew how much he worried his mother with his antics sometimes. Minato's eyebrows were pushed together and his mouth was a thin little line.

"Did you get into a fight with Hizashi?" Minato nodded his head, and then turned it to face the other wall. "I thought you guys were friends." The statement seemed to have struck a nerve because Minato sat up, unable to contain his anger any longer.

"We were! That's why I hate him so much!"

"Were?" Naruto repeated. Minato leaned forward to answer, his green eyes deadly serious.

"Dad, he made Mitsu-chan _cry_. So I punched him, and I'm not sorry." He folded his arms over his chest and stared at Naruto, challenging his father to compel him to be sorry.

"Looks like you're not the only one who did some damage." Naruto chuckled while he said it; in a way he was proud of his son. Minato harrumphed.

"_His_ is worse."

"What did he do to make Mitsuko cry?"

"Well…" Here Minato fidgeted a little with his shirt. "I didn't hear all of it, but I know he said something about her hair! And she was crying, right? So I had to do _something_…" Naruto reached out a hand to ruffle Minato spiky blond hair. Who was he to quell Minato's instincts? If Minato was going to be overprotective, Naruto was going to let him. He had probably inherited it from Naruto anyway.

"Don't tell your mother, but I think you did a good job. We always protect what's precious to us, right?" Minato smiled and nodded his head, looking a little relieved that he wasn't going to get punished. "But if you come home with more black eyes your mother'll kill us both, so make sure it's really important before you pick another fight, okay?" The slight chastisement caused Minato's smile to fade a little, but he nodded regardless. "Are you sure you don't want Mom to fix your eye?" Naruto added after a moment.

"_No_." Minato replied vehemently. "I want everyone to see that no one makes my little sister cry, no matter what! Or I'll kick their butts!" The sheer determination in Minato's voice hit Naruto, and he had never been more proud to be a father.

"So, what now? Are you going to be mad at him forever?" Minato's brow furrowed at the question and Naruto could see he hadn't thought about that yet.

"I don't know." Minato looked at his lap, conflicting feelings causing him confusion. He was still mad at Hizashi, but he still liked him. Naruto regarded him with understanding.

"You don't have to be, if you don't want to be."

"But, Dad, I punched him, so what if _he_ hates _me_?"

"Well, he punched you back, so you're even." Minato didn't look convinced. Naruto thought for a moment. "You know how Gaara and I became friends?" Minato shook his head. Gaara was fairly close to Minato and Mitsuko. In fact, Gaara got along better with them than most people, though that wasn't really Gaara's fault. Most everyone who knew how Gaara had been before the Chuunin exams was still a little afraid of him.

"How?"

"We had a big fight, so big we destroyed an _entire_ forest." Naruto only exaggerated a little, but Minato's eyes were wide with disbelief.

"No way."

"It's true. You can ask your mom. That's what we were fighting about. He tried to hurt her."

"He did?" Not wanting Minato to think less of Gaara, Naruto thought quickly.

"Well, he was, uh, under a jutsu, so he wasn't thinking right. But after our fight, Gaara realized he'd made a mistake. We've been good friends since then." Naruto smiled encouragingly at his son, who was losing the uncertain look he'd had on his face. Minato wrinkled his nose, trying to act like what he was about to say was a little distatsteful.

"I guess I won't hate Hizashi forever." He looked to Naruto for confirmation.

"Good. Now, let's go see what's for dinner!"

"I hope it's not ramen." Minato declared as he jumped off his bed. "I don't _like_ ramen!" Naruto was a little less proud then, but he supposed no child could be just what you wanted them to be.

x

"Mom, can we go outside now?"

"Actually, I think I remember asking you two to clean up your rooms."

"_Mom_, shinobi don't clean stuff." Sakura glared at her son.

"Shinobi obey their mothers, and yours is telling you to clean your room." Minato backed away from his mother's glare.

"Uh, sure, Mom." Minato agreed quickly; his mother's scary face always made him nervous.

"Minato, if you and Mitsuko finish with your rooms, I'll teach you a new technique when your mom and I are done with the dishes." Naruto often resorted to bribery when it came to his children and didn't mind when he was accused of spoiling them. Perhaps it was a result of his own childhood, but Naruto believed in giving them as much attention as possible. In any case, his words had the desired effect: Minato's face lit up instantly. He didn't say another word, but turned on his heel, dragging Mitsuko with him.

"Me too, Daddy?" Mitsuko asked as Minato pulled her towards the stairs.

"You too, sweetie." Naruto watched his children race up the stairs, strangely sad that he had never experienced this from the other end. Beside him, Sakura blew at a strand of hair to get it out of her face.

"I swear, Naruto, your son will be the death of me." She commented a little exasperatedly. Naruto laughed.

"And I suppose if you had known he would be the consequence of that fateful night you would have stayed far, far away…" Sakura flicked soapy dish water at her husband, who tried (and failed) to deflect it with the towel he was using to dry the dishes. She grinned satisfactorily at the suds on his cheek. For a moment the only sound was the clink of dishes in the sink. Then Naruto spoke. "So, did Mitsuko tell you what Hizashi said to her? Minato didn't actually know."

"It's funny really. I think it was an honest question, but Mitsuko can be so sensitive." Naruto nodded. "He asked her why she has red hair if neither of her parents do." Naruto grabbed another bowl and began wiping it off.

"Is that all?" Much as he loved his little girl, he didn't think he was ever going to understand her. Girls were so unpredictable, and from what he heard from Shikamaru, it was only going to get worse as she got older. Naruto secretly felt bad for his advisor; Shikamaru and Temari had four daughters, all of whom seemed to have inherited their mother's disposition.

"It's not surprising when you think about it. I mean, everyone in Hizashi's family looks the same—dark hair, light eyes. And I think Mitsuko was feeling bad because she doesn't look as much like me as Minato looks like you. But when I told her her hair is the same color her grandmother's was, she seemed fine with it."

"Well, she has your eyes, at least." There was comfortable silence for a moment before Sakura spoke again.

"You know, I think maybe Hizashi has a crush on her." Naruto didn't like the way Sakura's lips pursed in an amused way after she said it.

"What?! _Our_ Mitsu-chan?" Naruto gaped at his wife. Wasn't their daughter a little young for that kind of thing?

"Don't act so shocked. It's pretty normal. Besides, a Hyuuga will make a good husband." Naruto _knew_ she was much too young for that.

"How can you say that? They're still just little kids!"

"There's nothing wrong with thinking about their futures. They won't be children forever." For some reason Naruto felt a little betrayed by this statement. Of course he knew his children would grow up one day, but he hadn't really thought about it before. He had always been a one-day-at-a-time kind of guy. But the thought of teenaged Hyuuga Hizashi taking his little Mitsu-chan on a date was, well, frightening.

"Are you sure we can't change that?" He asked a little desperately. Sakura, who could guess what he was thinking, took advantage of the situation.

"You'd better get used to the idea. Mitsuko's going to be pretty when she's older and all the boys will want to date the _Hokage's_ daughter." Naruto looked miserable then, and Sakura smiled wickedly. "Look at it this way. Hinata seems to be happy. I'm sure Neji's son will make the same kind of husband."

"That's mean, Sakura-chan." Naruto frowned. Sakura's impish smile seemed to highlight the playful gleam in her eyes. Was she teasing him?

"What? Don't they seem happy?" An idea came to Naruto and he suddenly smiled mischievously.

"If you mean Hinata's condition shows how happy she is, maybe we should make it obvious that you're happy too." Sakura giggled as Naruto threw his towel and moved closer.

"Naruto, stop." Sakura giggled again. "The kids could come down any second."

"Well, maybe we should ask them if they want another sibling." Naruto's smile was a little feral. "I wouldn't object… Maybe one with pink hair…" And then he was kissing Sakura, the dishes forgotten entirely.

A few minutes later they were interrupted, not by their children, but by a knock on the door. Sakura pulled away from Naruto to straighten her shirt and smooth her hair. Naruto growled a little. Sakura smiled at him, her eyes promising _Later_ while her hands pushed him towards the door.

Naruto moved towards the door with more than a little impatience. When he reached it he practically threw it open. He was greeted by a pair of pale eyes in a serious face.

"I apologize for disturbing you at home, Hokage-sama, but I believe you can guess why we're here." Naruto was puzzled for moment before he noticed Hizashi standing a little behind his father. Naruto looked at Hizashi closer. Minato had been right; Hizashi's black eye was worse. Neji stepped to the side a little, but before either Hyuuga could say anything more, Sakura appeared next to Naruto.

"Neji-san, what a pleasant surprise! How's Hinata-san doing?"

"She is doing well. The doctors say the baby will probably come next week sometime, but they want her to take it easy anyway." Sakura nodded knowingly. She was a medic-nin after all, and probably would have prescribed the same thing. Sakura was about to ask what had brought Neji to their door when the sound of someone barreling down the stairs reached them.

"Daddy! I'm done!" Mitsuko pounced on her father, excited and breathless with anticipation, before she noticed her parents were not alone. Her smile disappeared as her gaze fell on Hizashi and she latched onto Naruto's pant leg. Hizashi lost some of his Hyuuga composure at the look on Mitsuko's face, and he looked uncertainly at his father. Neji nodded his head sternly, and Hizashi bowed to Mitsuko.

"I apologize, Mitsuko-chan, for hurting your feelings." Neji cleared his throat. "And… and I'm sorry for punching your brother." Hizashi straightened and Neji's face relaxed a little. Mitsuko didn't say anything for a minute. Hizashi was looking uncomfortable, but he didn't look away from Mitsuko's face. When she finally spoke, her words were haughty.

"My hair is red," she told him, "because my _grandma_ had red hair." Hizashi looked relieved at her words, smiling like his father had never smiled as a child.

"I didn't know." Mitsuko gave a little "hn" as a response, but the corners of her mouth turned upwards. Hizashi's smile widened even more and Neji cocked an eyebrow in uncharacteristic amusement at the look on his son's face. Naruto frowned. An amused Neji was a bad sign. He had an urge to slam the door in the Hyuugas' faces, but he resisted it because he knew Sakura would kill him if he did.

"Well," Neji said dryly, "we'll be going now." Neji inclined his head to them both, then turned and strode away. Hizashi didn't move, but continued to stare stupidly at Mitsuko, who was ignoring him coyly. When Neji realized his son was not with him, he turned his head to look back.

"Hizashi." Hearing his name seemed to jolt Hizashi out of whatever he had been thinking and his smile was replaced by the unreadable look Neji wore most of the time.

"Coming, Father." Hizashi moved quickly to catch up to Neji, but not before glancing at Mitsuko one more time. Naruto shut the door abruptly, trying to pretend everything that had just happened hadn't. He began mumbling to himself.

"Shikamaru has _four_ girls… Why couldn't he like one of them?" Naruto continued in this vein, talking to himself. Mitsuko looked at her father, a frown on her face.

"Mommy? What's wrong with Daddy?" Sakura couldn't stifle the laughter she had been holding in.

"He's fine, honey. He just had a long day." Mitsuko's face fell.

"Does that mean we're not going to train?" She asked, her disappointment clear. Naruto, who had come out of his depressed reverie, looked scandalized.

"Of course not! Mitsu-chan, there's a lot of things I need to teach you. Where's Minato? We don't have time to waste!" Mitsuko was looking at her father strangely. He was talking too fast, too animatedly, for her to really follow what he was saying. He caught her look and bent down, taking her shoulders in his hands. "Listen, Mistu-chan, next time Hizashi tries to talk to you, I want you to give him a good swift kick." Naruto nodded at his own words, seeming more and more convinced of his genius. "That ought to keep him away…" Sakura , who had heard this latest statement, was no longer amused.

"Naruto!" Her husband yelped, jumping up and running away from his impending doom in the form of Sakura's fist.

Mitsuko watched them, perplexed. Suddenly Minato tumbled down the stairs. Seeing his parents arguing, he turned to Mitsuko.

"What'd I miss?"


End file.
